And Now the Screaming Starts!

And Now the Screaming Starts!

Year: 1973

Runtime: 91 mins

Language: English

Director: Roy Ward Baker

HorrorHorror

The cursed hand that crawls, kills, and lives. In the late 18th century, newlyweds Charles and Catherine Fengriffen move into the stately family mansion. Catherine soon falls victim to a vengeance‑driven curse placed by a wronged servant on the Fengriffen line, sealing a doom that haunts each descendant.

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Timeline & Setting – And Now the Screaming Starts! (1973)

Explore the full timeline and setting of And Now the Screaming Starts! (1973). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

1795

The events take place in 1795 England, a period of rigid social hierarchy and superstition. The estate’s age and the surrounding countryside emphasize tradition and secrecy. Within this late 18th-century frame, sleep-ruining visions and violent acts escalate toward a fatal reckoning.

Location

Fengriffen House, Silas' Lodge

Set on the Fengriffen estate in rural England, the story unfolds around an opulent country house and a nearby woodsman’s lodge. The mansion’s creaky corridors, moonlit grounds and hidden histories provide the backdrop for a generational curse. The setting blends aristocratic luxury with Gothic menace, creating a claustrophobic world where warnings go unheeded.

🏰 Haunted estate 👁️ Visions 🌫️ Damp atmosphere

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 16:14

Main Characters – And Now the Screaming Starts! (1973)

Meet the key characters of And Now the Screaming Starts! (1973), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Catherine Fengriffen (Stephanie Beacham)

A young bride who experiences disturbing visions of an undead corpse and a severed hand upon entering Fengriffen House. She becomes the focal point of the family curse, her pregnancy heightening the stakes. Courageous yet vulnerable, she endures the estate's threats as secrets unfold.

👁️ Visions 💍 Bride 🏚️ Haunted

Charles Fengriffen (Ian Ogilvy)

Catherine's fiancé who initially dismisses the legends and tries to protect the family's name. His skepticism clashes with the supernatural events, driving him toward a dramatic confrontation with the estate's dark past. He is capable, stubborn, and ultimately implicated in the unfolding tragedy.

🏰 Aristocrat 🗝️ Secrets 🧭 Obsession

Silas / Woodsman (Geoffrey Whitehead)

The surviving son of the man Henry Fengriffen wronged, Silas embodies the vengeful legacy that haunts Fengriffen House. His birthmark mirrors the corpse Catherine sees, and his presence signals the curse's reach. Quiet and formidable, he remains a menacing force.

🪵 Woodsman 🗡️ Revenge 👁️ Birthmark

Dr Whittle (Patrick Magee)

The physician who initially attributes Catherine's experiences to mental disorder and urges caution. He reveals key backstory elements about the estate and the curses, acting as a bridge between superstition and explanation. His fate underscores the danger that accompanies uncovering the truth.

⚕️ Doctor 🧭 Mystery

Dr Pope (Peter Cushing)

A psychiatrist with an open mind who pushes for a rational investigation. He questions the family legends, works to extract the truth from the past, and becomes a steady ally to Catherine. His method contrasts with fear-driven responses around him.

⚕️ Doctor 🧠 Investigator 🕯️ Skeptic

Sir Henry Fengriffen (Herbert Lom)

The debauched patriarch whose past crime against Silas set the curse in motion. His remorse contrasts with the brutality of the original acts, and his actions loom large over the present danger. He is the ancestral threat whose sins echo through generations.

👑 Patriarch 🔨 Crime ⚰️ Guilt

Maitland (Guy Rolfe)

Charles's solicitor who begins to uncover the estate's dark history but is murdered for pursuing the truth. His fate illustrates the protective reach of the curse and the peril in exposing secrets.

👔 Lawyer 🪓 Murder

Mrs Luke (Rosalie Crutchley)

The housemaid whose loyalty to the Fengriffens leads to a brutal death by the hand that haunts the house. She embodies the personal risk surrounding those who dare to meddle with the past.

👗 Servant 💥 Violence

Aunt Edith (Gillian Lind)

Catherine’s chaperone who becomes another victim when the severed hand reaches into the living world. Her death underscores the reach of the curse and the peril of confronting it.

👵 Relative 🪢 Murder

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 16:14

Major Themes – And Now the Screaming Starts! (1973)

Explore the central themes of And Now the Screaming Starts! (1973), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🕯️ Gothic Horror

The film relies on a moody, claustrophobic atmosphere, spectral visions and a family curse to generate dread. Crumbling rooms, hidden histories and a foreboding presence anchor the supernatural elements. The sense of inevitable doom comes from the estate's age-old secrets rather than explicit explanation.

🗝️ Family Curse

A curse tied to the Fengriffen bloodline threads tragedy from generation to generation. Birthmarks, a severed hand and a vengeful woodsman bury past crimes in the present. The notion that violence repeats across heirs drives the tension and reveals the estate's dark legacy.

🧠 Rationalism

Dr Pope and Dr Whittle represent a scientific approach to the mystery, challenging superstition. They probe the estate's legends with reason, even as fear lingers in the halls. The clash between medical rationality and haunted belief threads through the investigation.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 16:14

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Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Gothic horror movies with family curses like And Now the Screaming Starts!

Movies about ancient family curses that bring inevitable doom and supernatural dread.If you enjoyed the grim, hereditary doom in And Now the Screaming Starts!, you'll find similar chills in these movies. This collection features stories where a family is tormented by a supernatural curse rooted in past sins, leading to a bleak and inevitable conclusion. Discover other haunting tales of generational sin and relentless supernatural vengeance.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative typically involves the uncovering of a dark family secret, often through flashbacks, which explains the origin of a supernatural curse. The present-day characters, usually innocent of the original sin, are powerless to stop the curse's horrifying fulfillment. The story structure is a linear or revelatory descent into doom.

Why These Movies?

These movies are grouped together for their shared focus on the 'sins of the father' trope, a dark gothic atmosphere, and a plotting that methodically builds towards an inevitable, bleak ending. They share a high intensity and heavy emotional weight driven by themes of fate and supernatural punishment.

Movies with a slow build of dread like And Now the Screaming Starts!

Stories where a steady, mounting sense of dread leads to psychological unraveling.Fans of the methodical, creeping horror in And Now the Screaming Starts! will appreciate these selections. These films master a steady pacing that builds unbearable tension and psychological unease. If you like stories where dread accumulates slowly towards a terrifying climax, explore these similar haunting and unsettling experiences.

dreadanxiousclaustrophobicunsettlingpsychologicalterrifying

Narrative Summary

The narrative avoids swift jumpscares in favor of a linear, escalating progression of unsettling events. The horror comes from the characters' growing realization of their helplessness against a pervasive threat. The journey is one of psychological erosion, where the mind is the primary battleground.

Why These Movies?

This grouping is defined by a specific pacing and mood combination: a steady, deliberate build of tension rather than fast-paced action. The shared experience is one of sustained anxiety and a focus on the psychological degradation of the protagonist under relentless pressure.

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And Now the Screaming Starts! Summary

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And Now the Screaming Starts! Summary

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And Now the Screaming Starts! Timeline

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